Fairfax Bible Church

Big Idea: God throws a party when a lost one comes home 1. Not everyone gets God's heart for the lost (15:1-2) 2. God goes the distance to pursue the one who is lost (15:3-10) 3. God's joy when the lost one comes home reveals the depths of his love (15:11-24) 4. God invites us to the party to celebrate lost ones coming home (15:25-32)

Big Idea: Though we may be hesitant or even resistant to it, God is on the move to accomplish his purposes in the world A) Peter's report of God's power melts the wills of the resistant (11:1-18) B) Barnabas' witness of God's grace eases the fears of the hesitant (11:19-26) C) The gift from the Christians in Antioch reveals God's wisdom to accomplish his purposes (11:27-30) 1. God doesn't need us...

Big Idea: Because Jesus is Lord of all, the gospel can go to all 1) Cornelius receives a vision (10:1-8) 2) Peter receives a vision (10:9-33) 3) The gospel is preached to Gentiles (10:34-43) 4) The Spirit is poured out on Gentiles (10:44-48)

Big Idea: Jesus heals to show us he's the Author of life 1) Jesus' heals through the prayers of his people 2) Jesus heals to display his power 3) Jesus heals to advance his purposes Applications: Pray according to his power Pray according to his purposes

Big Idea: We all have unique talents, but God gives us gifts so we can live for a glorious purpose 1. Our gifts lead to honest humility, not exaggerated superiority (Rom. 12:3) 2. Our gifts promote unity, not competition (Rom. 12:4-5) 3. Our gifts produce effects, not efficiency (Rom. 12:6-8) 4. Our gifts are meant to bless others, not benefit ourselves (1 Pet. 4:10) 5. Our gifts point to God's gl...

Time Treasure Talents: Part 2 by FairfaxBibleChurch

Big Idea: We all could manage our time better, but only God can lead us to use our time for what is best 1. His wisdom keeps us from squandering our time (Eph. 5:15-16) 2. His wisdom guides us in maximizing our time (Col. 4:5-6) Following the example of Jesus, the Lord of time: (from Ordering Your Private World, by Gordon MacDonald) - Jesus clearly understood his mission - Jesus understood his own...

Big Idea: Christmas is the shout of joy to a world of sorrow What is joy? We shout joyfully because of God's love (Psalm 98:1-3) We shout joyfully because of God's reign (Psalm 98:4-6) We shout joyfully because of God's justice (Psalm 98:7-9) Where is the joy? The promise of joy: Genesis 3:15-18; Isaiah 9:6-7 The arrival of joy: Luke 2:10-14; 2:25-32 The hope of joy: 1 Peter 1:8-9; Revelation 21:1...

Big Idea: Christmas is good news that replaces our fear with comfort 1. Jesus became one of us to free us from our fears (2:14-16) Jesus ended Satan's power Jesus freed us from slavery to death 2. Jesus became one of us to comfort us with his help (2:17-18) Jesus opened the way to the good favor of God Jesus can now help us when we need it most

Big Idea: Christmas is the good news that Jesus is King 1. Beautiful feet deliver good news (Is 52:7) Peace Happiness Salvation "Your God reigns" 2. Singing fills the city (Is 52:8-9) Joy Comfort Redemption 3. Salvation stretches to the ends of the earth (Is 52:10) Jesus loves even his fiercest enemies (Lk. 6:27-28) So, we can also love those with ugly pasts (2 Cor. 5:14-19) And, we can trust him...

Big Idea: Jesus takes ugly pasts and gives them beautiful purposes 1) Saul's ugly past (8:1-3; 9:1-2) 2) Saul meets Jesus (9:3-9) 3) Saul's eyes are opened (9:10-19) 4) Saul the persecutor becomes Saul the preacher (9:20-25) 5) Saul the foe becomes Saul the friend (9:26-31) Three Lessons: 1) Jesus loves even his fiercest enemies (Lk. 6:27-28) 2) So, we can also love those with ugly pasts (2 Cor. 5...

Big Idea: God schedules divine appointments in unlikely moments God clears Philip's schedule for a divine appointment. (8:26-30) God prepares an unlikely man for an unlikely moment. (8:31-34) Philip steps into his divine appointment with the gospel. (8:35-38) Gospel growth springs from an unlikely moment. (8:39-40)

Big Idea: God sends gift-givers, not salespeople God turned persecution into proclamation. (8:1-4) Philip declared and demonstrated the good news. (8:5-8) Simon was amazed by true greatness. (8:9-13) The gift of God cannot be bought. (8:14-24)

Big Idea: Only a life full of Jesus could move from asking “How could I?” to “How could I not?” The Narrative 1. Stephen and His Enemies (6:8-15) 2. Stephen's Defense (7:1-53) 3. Stephen's Execution (7:54-60)

Big Idea: How we handle communal conflict will either make us or break us How we handle communal conflict will either make us or break us 1. The threat of division can cripple even the strongest church. So, fight to protect our unity. 2. We must not ignore our brothers and sisters when they hurt or are in need. So, we must listen humbly and act lovingly. 3. Churches that truly honor Jesus take a b...

Big Idea: Strategic Church Planting isn’t really about church planting. It’s about Multiplication 1. Multiplication is an invitation into the creative work of God (Get 9:1; 17:6; 35:11) 2. Multiplication is tethered to, but dependent upon, our obedience (Jer 23:3) 3. Multiplication is about Jesus (Luke 9:1-2; 10:1) 4. Multiplication is a work of the Spirit (Acts 1:15; 2:41; 4:4; 5:14; 14:23) 5. Mu...

Big Idea: Biblical preaching propels us to live sent. Biblical preaching… Consider the audience (v16-21) Communicates the truth (v22-31) Connects the heart (v23, 28, 32-34)

Big Idea: Worshipping the Lord requires all of me. I. I worship the Lord with my character (3:1-15) CONTROL: You know you have a control idol if your greatest nightmare is uncertainty APPROVAL: You know you have an approval idol if your greatest nightmare is rejection COMFORT: You know you have a comfort idol if your greatest nightmare is stress/demands POWER: You know you have a power idol if you...

Big Idea: Purposeful disciple-making is an ongoing, intentional act of shepherding others towards Christ I) Disciple-making is purposeful… Proactive Emphatic Humbling II) Disicple-making is an ongoing, intentional act of shepherding others III) Jesus is the object of our efforts in discipleship Motivation Magnitude The problem: The harvest is plentiful...but the laborers are few The solution: Pray...

A Prayer For the Unreached by FairfaxBibleChurch

Big Idea: Christians can't be neutral with the gospel because God wasn't neutral with us. - We were saved to speak. (2:9-10) - We must design to display. (2:11-12) Application: 4 ways to live courageously rather than neutrally Love Christ. Treasure people, not things. See with eyes of compassion, not condemnation. Be confident in the gospel.

Big Idea: God brings us in to send us out (Is 6:1-8) I) God brings us in to behold his glory (v1–5) II) God brings us in to encounter his mercy (v6–7) III) God brings us in to send us with his message (v8)

Big Idea: Human power is no match for God's power - You can trust it, fear it, or hate it, but you cannot deny God's power (5:12-17) - God gets the last laugh just when you think his power has been handcuffed (5:18-26) - God's unstoppable power & authority demand our unwavering loyalty and obedience (5:27-32) - God's unstoppable power is our source of joy and courage when we face opposition (5:33-...

Grace is our strength (4:32-37) Grace removes all the barriers that keep us apart. (4:32-33) Grace is powerful enough to eliminate our needs. (4:34-35) Grace frees us from being owned by our possessions. (4:36-37) Sin is our weakness (5:1-11) Sin seizes control over our lives. (5:2-3) Sin cannot hide behind our pious disguises. (5:4, 8-9) Sin promises life but delivers death. (5:5, 10-11)

Big Idea: Even against opposition we should boldly tell the story of Jesus. 1) The sign of a good story is that we can’t wait to tell it to someone else 2) Remember the hero of the story 3) We can tell this story with boldness